WHAT AM I DOING YOU ASK? AN OPEN LETTER TO IDOC/ISCC STAFF.
On January 18, 2018 a friend sent me an email with 3 photos attached. Next day, I received a document from ISCC staff that informed me that the 3 photos had been "censored" (i.e. confiscated). This was all within the protocol / guidelines of the IDOC's Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) - except for the fact that the photos themselves are, per SOP, authorized (I'll get to that later). For days thereafter, I waited for the rest of the email (text) to be delivered.
After not receiving the email for more than 2 weeks, I wrote a Concern Form [FN 1] to ISCC Investigations on January 31, 2018 asking when I could expect to receive the email text. Not receiving a response to my Concern Form in the time prescribed by policy, I filed a grievance, asking that my email be delivered.
On February 12, 2018, my Concern Form was returned, and the following Reply from Investigations Sergeant Mileski reads as follows: "Text of email sent to you w/o photo's [sic] of whatever your [sic] up to...(EOR).
So, you want to know what I'm "up to". Well, I tried to give ISCC staff that information several weeks ago when I asked - via Concern Form - for a meeting with Deputy Warden (now acting Warden) Christensen, Sgt. Mileski and myself (see post WASTING TIME AND PLAYING GAMES - THE ADMINISTRATOR'S DEFENSE on this page - see FN 2 below for exerpts).
OK - briefly, it's this - IDOC staff spend up to 30 percent (and sometimes more) of their day looking for female breasts in photos in incoming envelopes, magazines, email attachments, videograms and other media. That's not only nuts (no pun intended), it is wasteful and a ridiculous use (or misuse) of taxpayer resources - AND it seems you can't tell the difference between the breast of a male and the breast of a female. IDOC SOP allows photos and depictions of male breasts, but not female. Ironically, following SOP breast restrictions, I can not receive a photo of my family turkey dinner (because the pop-up timer "looks like - or is a depiction of" a female nipple on the breast of the hen), or a video of my sister's dog who has just delivered a litter of puppies without having nipples covered.
The photos confiscated on January 18, 2018 were of males - just males - and the staff who confiscated the photos, and the staff who reviewed the confiscation (ISCC Investigations) know that to be true, as the email text actually provided the staff with the websites from which the photos were sourced - identifying the subjects in the photo not only by name, but in other photos available on the site - by an unmistakable reference to their true gender. (This is why staff didn't want to release the email text to me.) The grievance/appeal regarding the confiscation of the photos is pending.
What am I doing? I am following YOUR policy, YOUR guidelines, YOUR protocols, hoping that you will change the SOP, use the taxpayer dollars for something other than this witch-hunt for what may or may not be a depiction of a female breast, and for you to LEAVE THE BOOBIES ALONE!
What will I be doing next? You can have the answer - all you have to do is ask.
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[FN 1] For those who aren't familiar, a Concern Form is the official document with which IDOC prisoners are to communicate with staff in writing.
[FN 2] Exerpts from the post WASTING TIME AND PLAYING GAMES - THE ADMINISTRATOR'S DEFENSE on this blog page:
An example of the tone of exchanges between staff and prisoners can be summed up in the following Concern form sent by Shackelford to ISCC Investigations on 1/18/18, Shackelford writes:
"On 1/12/18 you* confiscated the attachment (photo) to my incoming email sent by [SP] on 1/7/18, yet you have not released the email (text) to me as of this date as required by SOP. Please release the email to me immediately. *Associate #1314 (unknown name)"
NOTE: The email was released to Shackelford on the evening of 1/18/18 - the same day, but hours after the Concern form was sent. In response to the Concern, ISCC Investigations Sergeant Mileski wrote:
"Mr. Shackelford, ALL emails sent by [SP] on 1/7/18 were sent to you. I checked the individual history of all 3 of them. Please stop wasting my time. (EOR)"
Based on this response, as well as the stated position of Deputy Warden Christensen, Shackelford sent a Concern form on 1/22/18 to the deputy warden, asking for a meeting with both he and the sergeant to resolve the issues:
"Would you please arrange a meeting with me and Sgt. Mileski regarding this email issue*? You believe I am incorrect on some issues - he (Sgt. Mileski) says I'm wasting his time. If I am wrong in how or what I believe is correct, I will stand corrected. If the 3 of us (and whoever else you might want to attend) can get together it may resolve many future issues - saving everyone time and work. *SOP 503.02.01.001.
The deputy warden replied on 1/23/18: "I'm sorry - Sgt. Mileski doesn't have time to play the game your [sic] playing. C note has been entered."
DS
After not receiving the email for more than 2 weeks, I wrote a Concern Form [FN 1] to ISCC Investigations on January 31, 2018 asking when I could expect to receive the email text. Not receiving a response to my Concern Form in the time prescribed by policy, I filed a grievance, asking that my email be delivered.
On February 12, 2018, my Concern Form was returned, and the following Reply from Investigations Sergeant Mileski reads as follows: "Text of email sent to you w/o photo's [sic] of whatever your [sic] up to...(EOR).
So, you want to know what I'm "up to". Well, I tried to give ISCC staff that information several weeks ago when I asked - via Concern Form - for a meeting with Deputy Warden (now acting Warden) Christensen, Sgt. Mileski and myself (see post WASTING TIME AND PLAYING GAMES - THE ADMINISTRATOR'S DEFENSE on this page - see FN 2 below for exerpts).
OK - briefly, it's this - IDOC staff spend up to 30 percent (and sometimes more) of their day looking for female breasts in photos in incoming envelopes, magazines, email attachments, videograms and other media. That's not only nuts (no pun intended), it is wasteful and a ridiculous use (or misuse) of taxpayer resources - AND it seems you can't tell the difference between the breast of a male and the breast of a female. IDOC SOP allows photos and depictions of male breasts, but not female. Ironically, following SOP breast restrictions, I can not receive a photo of my family turkey dinner (because the pop-up timer "looks like - or is a depiction of" a female nipple on the breast of the hen), or a video of my sister's dog who has just delivered a litter of puppies without having nipples covered.
The photos confiscated on January 18, 2018 were of males - just males - and the staff who confiscated the photos, and the staff who reviewed the confiscation (ISCC Investigations) know that to be true, as the email text actually provided the staff with the websites from which the photos were sourced - identifying the subjects in the photo not only by name, but in other photos available on the site - by an unmistakable reference to their true gender. (This is why staff didn't want to release the email text to me.) The grievance/appeal regarding the confiscation of the photos is pending.
What am I doing? I am following YOUR policy, YOUR guidelines, YOUR protocols, hoping that you will change the SOP, use the taxpayer dollars for something other than this witch-hunt for what may or may not be a depiction of a female breast, and for you to LEAVE THE BOOBIES ALONE!
What will I be doing next? You can have the answer - all you have to do is ask.
--------------------
[FN 1] For those who aren't familiar, a Concern Form is the official document with which IDOC prisoners are to communicate with staff in writing.
[FN 2] Exerpts from the post WASTING TIME AND PLAYING GAMES - THE ADMINISTRATOR'S DEFENSE on this blog page:
An example of the tone of exchanges between staff and prisoners can be summed up in the following Concern form sent by Shackelford to ISCC Investigations on 1/18/18, Shackelford writes:
"On 1/12/18 you* confiscated the attachment (photo) to my incoming email sent by [SP] on 1/7/18, yet you have not released the email (text) to me as of this date as required by SOP. Please release the email to me immediately. *Associate #1314 (unknown name)"
NOTE: The email was released to Shackelford on the evening of 1/18/18 - the same day, but hours after the Concern form was sent. In response to the Concern, ISCC Investigations Sergeant Mileski wrote:
"Mr. Shackelford, ALL emails sent by [SP] on 1/7/18 were sent to you. I checked the individual history of all 3 of them. Please stop wasting my time. (EOR)"
Based on this response, as well as the stated position of Deputy Warden Christensen, Shackelford sent a Concern form on 1/22/18 to the deputy warden, asking for a meeting with both he and the sergeant to resolve the issues:
"Would you please arrange a meeting with me and Sgt. Mileski regarding this email issue*? You believe I am incorrect on some issues - he (Sgt. Mileski) says I'm wasting his time. If I am wrong in how or what I believe is correct, I will stand corrected. If the 3 of us (and whoever else you might want to attend) can get together it may resolve many future issues - saving everyone time and work. *SOP 503.02.01.001.
The deputy warden replied on 1/23/18: "I'm sorry - Sgt. Mileski doesn't have time to play the game your [sic] playing. C note has been entered."
DS